Doha - Media & Communication Dept.- July 23

The State of Qatar condemns in the strongest terms the burning of a copy of the Holy Quran in the Danish capital, Copenhagen, and stresses that this heinous incident is an act of incitement and a serious provocation to the feelings of more than two billion Muslims in the world.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs warns that allowing repeated infringement of the Holy Quran under the pretext of freedom of expression fuels hatred and violence, threatens the value of peaceful coexistence, and reveals abhorrent double standards. The Ministry reiterates the State of Qatar’s total rejection of all forms of hate speech based on belief, race, or religion, as well as using sanctities in political disputes. It also warns that hate campaigns against Islam and the discourse of Islamophobia have witnessed a dangerous escalation with the continued systematic calls for the repeated targeting of Muslims in the world. In this context, the Ministry renews its call to the international community to assume its responsibility to reject hatred, discrimination, incitement and violence. It also stresses the importance of upholding the principles of dialogue and mutual understanding.

The Ministry reiterates Qatar’s full support for the values of tolerance and coexistence, and its keenness to establish the principles of international peace and security through dialogue and understanding.